A weight lifter who made York Barbell a name brand in the weight lifting world passed away over the weekend.
Jules Bacon, 89, a former Mr. America and Mr. Universe, died in York, an adopted town he helped build into Muscletown USA... .
In his prime, the Philadelphia native was a regular on the covers of weight lifting and bodybuilding magazines - Strength & Health, Your Physique and IronMan.
After his prime years, he continued to promote the sport and health techniques.
(For other posts on York weight lifting's storied past, see John Grimek lifted up musclemen of York, Pa. and Various York Barbell posts.)
But there's also an "unstoried" part of York weight lifting's past. A story on the front page of the York Sunday News in December told of the use of steriods by some of its weight lifters starting in the 1950s: Pecs, pink pills and power.
At that time, the practice was legal and the negative health implications were not known.
So York is again in the national news.
I started with my first York set in 1945 at age 15.
still have some of the equipment. Continue to work out at age 78. Great for the body!
Bob